Standardized nutrition info may be next on restaurants' menus

Denise Nanni seeks the nutrition information for food when she dines out. It’s one step in her plan to stay healthy after being diagnosed as diabetic 14 years ago.

Melissa Westphal

Denise Nanni seeks the nutrition information for food when she dines out. It’s one step in her plan to stay healthy after being diagnosed as diabetic 14 years ago.

Nanni, of Loves Park, has identified healthy items at BeefaRoo, where she has worked for 17 years, so she avoids the temptation of cheese fries and milkshakes.

“I always ask if (restaurants) have a menu chart or a pamphlet with the nutrition listing,” Nanni said. “I avoid a lot of places if they don’t have it listed.”

More restaurants nationally are providing nutrition information either at the restaurants or online, said Mike Donohue, vice president of media relations for the National Restaurant Association.

“It’s a growing trend across the country, and the real push for regulation and laws at the local level has come during the past couple years,” Donohue said.

The problem lies in that individual states, counties and cities have passed different rules for calculating and posting the information. Legislation was introduced in Chicago, for instance, but not enacted.

Leaders in California, New York and Washington approved statewide nutrition information laws to provide continuity for their cities and cut down on the confusion. Those moves have encouraged lawmakers to jump in with proposals for national uniform rules.

“It’s difficult for the industry to deal with a hodgepodge of regulations, and there’s no reason to believe the local push won’t continue,” Donohue said. “We need a one-size-fits-all method for listing the information.”

Enter the Labeling Education and Nutrition Act, which was introduced in the U.S. Senate by senators from Delaware and Alaska. The legislation has support from the National Restaurant Association and the Coalition for Responsible Nutrition Information, which was formed to support the cause.

The coalition wants to provide diners with information on such items as sodium, trans fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and calories. Chain restaurants with 20 or more locations and grocery stores that sell prepared foods would be on the hook for providing the information.

Another proposal, the Menu Education and Labeling Act, comes with stricter requirements and the support of public health officials.

The BeefaRoo chain willingly started providing nutrition information more than a decade ago.
Melissa Seeling, one of the BeefaRoo partners, said their efforts were encouraged when the Coronary Health Improvement Project came to town. Sixteen businesses locally offer CHIP-friendly items.

Seeling said the challenges are updating the nutrition information as BeefaRoo changes its menu and paying for lab fees associated with calculating the nutrition facts.

BeefaRoo sends samples of items cooked in the stores — like hamburgers, french fries and chicken strips — to a Chicago-area lab where technicians analyze the food chemicals. Seeling said the “costs are in the thousands” to perform the tests.

Seeling said the restaurant is now tackling gluten information after requests from diners.

“We use the best quality products, and we pride ourselves on that,” Seeling said. “We want people to look at the nutrition information. We don’t want them to over-order or overload them with portion size — we don’t have combos for that reason. Our theory is that the information is out there, and we’re happy to provide it.”

Jim Corcoran of Oregon enjoyed a bowl of chili recently during lunch at BeefaRoo. He’s not particular about relying on restaurant nutrition information, preferring instead to enjoy dining out by making smart choices and keeping moderation in mind.

“It’s easy to the look at the menu and know what you should and shouldn’t be eating,” Corcoran. “Every once in a while, it’s OK to throw caution to the wind when you go out, as long as you understand the choices.”